The present invention relates to exercise methods and apparatus and more particularly, to exercise equipment that facilitates a generally elliptical stepping motion.
Exercise equipment has been designed to facilitate a variety of exercise motions. For example, treadmills allow a person to walk or run in place; stepper machines allow a person to climb in place; bicycle machines allow a person to pedal in place; and other machines allow a person to skate and/or stride in place. Yet another type of exercise equipment has been designed to facilitate elliptical exercise motion. An object of the present invention is to provide an elliptical exercise machine that generates a favorable elliptical foot path.
The present invention may be described in terms of a novel linkage assembly and corresponding exercise apparatus suitable for generating a generally elliptical stepping motion. On each side of a preferred embodiment, a first portion of a connector link is pivotally connected to a crank; a second portion of the connector link is pivotally connected to a rocker link; and a third portion of the connector link is pivotally connected to a foot support. Also, a floating crank is pivotally interconnected between the foot support and the crank. As the cranks rotate, the linkage assembly constrains the foot supports to travel through a generally elliptical path having a relatively vertical orientation. Additional features and/or advantages of the present invention may become more apparent from the more detailed description set forth below.